Jesus prayed this the night before
his crucifixion: "My prayer is not for them (his disciples)
alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, THAT ALL OF THEM MAY BE ONE,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also
be in us so that the world may believe that
you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave
me, that they may be one as we are
one: I in them and you in me. MAY THEY BE BROUGHT
TO COMPLETE UNITY to let the world know that you
sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
John 17:20-23

What was in Jesus' heart as he
prayed that prayer? As always, it was his love and concern
for us. Why? Because he wants us to be blessed,
enlarged, encouraged and made joyous in him. He wants that we
have the fullest possible life -- the biblical term is "abundant
life" -- both now and for eternity. There is
nothing in unity with Christ that's a downer, instead it's a HUGE
upper! That is a given, because Jesus loved us to the point
of his death, and he continues to love us by mediating a relationship
between us and God the Father. He does this seated at the
Father's right hand with a risen human body vicariously representing
all of humanity, thereby including all humanity in relationship with
the Father. It's important to keep in mind that Christ
had our best interests in mind as he prayed that prayer.

It would also be good for us as Christians to take note of what Jesus
prayed about so that we may better know him by knowing what's important
to him. The scripture quoted above is part of Jesus' prayer
the night before he suffered and died on the cross. He knew
his crucifixion was imminent -- just hours away -- so in this prayer he
prayed about those things which mattered most to him. Notice,
please, that he prayed about our
unity -- oneness with Jesus, oneness with the Father, oneness with each
other -- a mutually shared oneness, unity, communion and
fellowship. Again, to make the point, it was OUR unity --
also our UNITY -- that he prayed for, and it was a oneness -- a mutual
indwelling that was to be "as" the oneness of Jesus and the
Father. To the shame of all Christians everywhere, this has
not happened -- instead of unity with and in Christ together with God
the Father in the Holy Spirit we have for the most part (yes, there are
wonderful exceptions) preferred our doctrines, distinctions
and denominations to Christ. Generally we prefer distinction
to communion, denominationalism to unity and our "religion" with its
legalism, rules, rites, rituals and programs to Christ. There
are now many thousands of Christian denominations and sub-groups, most
thinking they are somehow superior to other denominations and
sub-groups. To help us understand, here's a short list of
this "superior" thinking: "Our doctrines our better." "We
have a better baptism." "Our traditions are better." "Our
worship is contemporary." "We have a long history."
"We're fresh and new." "Our music is better." "Our
communion is better." "Our church is more
relevant." "We believe the scriptures mean what they
say." "We believe that in the scriptures we can come to know
God." "We have significance." "We have the Holy
Spirit (and you don't)." "Our theology is better."
"We have solemnity." "We have spontaneity." And the
list goes on ad
infinitum, ad nauseum.
Some even arrogantly insist that they are "the one and only" true
church. I don't know the number of churches making that
claim, but in my lifetime I've been a member of two "one and only" true
churches. That is real and true -- funny in a way
-- yet tragic in the final analysis.

The very fact that we are not living in the complete unity Jesus prayed
to the Father for us should indicate that, "Hey, Houston, we have a
problem here." It points up the fact that we don't have the
oneness with Christ that is as Jesus prayed it would be, the same as
the oneness of Jesus and the Father. It should be a wake up
call to us that we are kicking against the goads -- resisting the
goodness of complete unity in which God wants to bless us.
This unity comes about only in direct unfettered individual
relationships with the Father through Jesus.

In all of this "Christian" one-upmanship in which we currently live,
with some encouraging exceptions, far too little love is lost between
groups. At this juncture it will be good for us to be
reminded of what Jesus said about how Christians should be with each
other: "...Love one another. As I have loved you so
you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another."
(John 13:34-35) That's not happening to any large
degree. Is it any wonder that Christianity is so weak and
ineffective in the modern world? We are not one with
Christ. We are not demonstrating Christ. We are not
showing all men that we are Jesus' disciples because we refuse the gift
of unity he is eager to give us in him. We work our own agenda or
someone else's agenda instead of his agenda. His agenda for
us includes mutually shared love and unity.

Great Father God, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, forgive us for our
egotistical arrogance and everything else we allow to stand between us
and you. With Your forgiveness we ask that you unite us
together in love with You and Jesus Christ in the Holy
Spirit. In Jesus name we ask it.

Why do we prefer denominational distinctions and our religious "stuff"
to Christ? Because our focus is on ourselves or our group and
not on Jesus Christ. The focus is on some distinction or
other which makes us feel superior to others. Instead of
focusing on knowing Jesus as he truly is and the common ground we have
in Jesus Christ as Christians we look for the distinctive that makes us
special, unique, better. This human malady affects Christian
leaders and lay members alike. The obstacles to unity are not
of God -- they are of us.

OBSTACLES FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS
It would seem that the largest obstacles to love and unity within
Christianity are those which affect Christian leaders more than the
laity. Instead of Christ and his will for us as leaders we
prefer the power, prestige, privilege, paycheck, position and the
present status quo that's wrapped up in our leadership. And
the relatively few of us in leadership influence most of those who call
themselves Christians. Also throw in a huge dose of
procrastination--over 1900 years' worth. Isn't it time to
turn that around?

OBSTACLES FOR CHRISTIAN LAITY
For the majority of the laity there is a preference to let the
leadership do their thinking about what Christianity is.
There are also prevailing tendencies to prefer programs and lists of
do's and don'ts or a relationship to a church denomination rather than
a personal relationship with Christ. Who hasn't heard the
tragic story about someone being asked if they were a Christian, and
their answer was, "NO, I'm a __________" (fill in a
denomination name). Many hold to some prevalent wrong
understanding of what "the Church" is. The Church is not a
structure, those who enter some particular building or those who are
involved in a particular denomination. The Biblical understanding of
the Church is that it is composed of those who are in a real living
relationship with Jesus Christ, basking in his love, graciousness and
goodness. The Church is all those who truly
are in Christ. It's the "Body of Christ" and it is Jesus who
decides who is and who is not in his body.

A CALL TO CHRISTIANS -- LEADERS AND LAITY -- TO COMPLETE UNITY IN
CHRIST! Let's make what was important enough for Jesus to
pray about just hours before his crucifixion important to us.
Let's make Jesus Christ more important to us than all those things we
substitute for him and all the obstacles we place before Christian
unity. Let's truly love one another so Jesus is known and
seen in the world. I would hope that denominational leaders
would take the bull by the horns and lead us to that unity, but I have
serious doubts that will happen. (I'd love to be surprised
and found wrong in this.) This complete unity in Christ that
Jesus prayed we'd have will probably come about more because individual
Christians insist upon it than through denominational leadership.

In this context of love and complete unity within Christianity let's
remember Bobby Kennedy's oft repeated paraphrase of George Bernard
Shaw's words, "There are those that look at things the way they are and
ask, 'why?' I dream of things that never were and ask 'why
not?'"
Why not have unity and mutual love in Christendom?

Why not pray that it happens within ten years -- well within most of
our expected lifetimes?This
was first posted on GodAndUs.org
Feb 7, 2007. Ten years from now is Feb 7, 2017. A
countdown begins.
If complete unity in Christ is a desirable goal, then I pray that
Christians everywhere -- leaders and laity alike -- will, as much as
lies within them, make it happen:
1. Christian leaders -- first make sure you truly know and
are in Christ.
2. Christian leaders -- do everything you can to facilitate
others in a one-on-one knowing of Jesus as beloved Son of God the
Father in the Holy Spirit with absolutely nothing "religious" or
"churchy" in between.
3. Christian laity -- know and live in relationship with
Christ.

A PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
Our Father, you are the awesome Almighty, Holy, loving God living in
eternal joyous harmony and unity with Jesus Christ in the Holy
Spirit. Father give us eyes to see you as you are -- let us
know you in your reality as a loving Father. And Lord, God,
let us know you as much as it is possible for humans to know you --
unhindered by all of our traditions, pre-suppositions and all of our
projections. Lord replace any wrong beliefs we have about you
with a deep faith in you as you are in your deepest reality.

Jesus, let us know you as the beloved son of the Father who has
eternally lived in such complete love and unity with the Father that
you are one with him while even yet being distinct in
personhood. Lord Jesus Christ we pray that we may know you as
the All in all that you are -- as the Light of the World! As
Unifier of all!

Father, we ask you to fill our minds and hearts with the same burning
longing for unity with you and with each other that Jesus prayed for
the night before his crucifixion. We pray as Jesus prayed,
"May we be brought to complete unity" that the world may know your love
and that you sent Jesus.

We ask Lord that you would live in us and that you would give us the
hearts and minds to live in you and in the Father in the love and unity
you prayed that we would have.

Father may we be instruments of that love and unity and may we realize
this complete unity in our near life times, with no more delay.

In Jesus name we ask it. Amen and amen.

My name is Tony Murphy, and as I post this on GodAndUs.org February 7,
2007, I'm 63 years old. I've heard talk of Christian unity
since Pope John XXIII over four decades ago -- and though there have
been efforts towards that unity, it's just not happened -- certainly
not in any substantive way. This call is one I'm relaying,
not one I'm making. It is Jesus' call. It is his
prayer. He prayed for unity in him to happen. Who
are we to hinder or retard that for which the Son of God -- God in the
flesh -- prayed?

I dearly long to see Christianity well on the way to Jesus being
recognized for what he is in reality -- the Light of the World (Greek, kosmos),
Lord of lords, and King of kings. I eagerly look forward to
when we are immersed in Christian love and closely approaching or
having apprehended complete unity before I die. That is my
prayer. Please, let's all those who name the name of Christ
pray for it and as much as lies within us, make it happen.
Above all let's start living in Jesus Christ and relating to him
personally, us in him and he in us -- that's the only way it will
happen. In the final analysis complete Christian unity is not
something we can bring about but only something we can receive because
we live in Christ. This complete unity is a gracious gift
Jesus gives through the Holy Spirit living in us when we are living in
Jesus.

"There are those that look at things the way they are and ask,
'why?' I dream of things that never were and ask 'why not?'"